Bold Color In A Guest Bath

At my house, we like to have lots of company. My guest bedroom is a space I am proud of and happy to welcome guests to. My guest bathroom, not so much. Until recently, that is.

Up until now, my decorating plan for the guest bath was to close my eyes and ignore it until I was able to remodel the whole space. The update was already done in my head, but, as my husband says, “We can’t see what’s in your head!” So it was definitely time to do it in the real world…

Here is what it looked like “before:”

You can’t see it in this photo, but the bathtub behind that curtain is actually blue!

On my wish list for the room was a vanity with some storage space. Other must-haves were a new floor and better lighting. And, of course, the blue tub had to go. But the most important choice I made for the space was the paint color: Sherwin-Williams “Naval.” I don’t think the room would have been nearly as successful without it.

Here is an in-progress shot of the room, where you can see some of the old fixtures:

And here are some shots of the final product:

I love my dark walls! The navy makes the white fixtures pop. The artwork with white mats stands out forcefully against the navy. The strong contrasts give the room a crisp and clean look, exactly what you want in a bathroom. Although I am very happy with all the decorating choices I made for the space, it is the paint color that gives this room its dramatic and sophisticated look.

Many people are afraid to take a chance with a dark color, but a guest bath or powder room is the perfect place to do it. You don’t spend a lot of time there so you won’t get tired of it. And the spaces are generally small, so it will be easy to paint over it if you don’t like it.

So be bold! Paint a small room a dark color. I think you’ll be as pleased as I am with the results!